


Recover

by conkles



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-24
Updated: 2014-06-25
Packaged: 2017-12-27 13:08:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/979287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/conkles/pseuds/conkles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Higher-ups in the military court order Eren to be experimented on. The situation gets out of hand, unbeknownst to Lance Corporal Levi and Commander Irvin. Eren becomes severely traumatized and Levi takes it upon himself to undo the damage that has been done. Ereri.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have been posting this story on fanfiction.net but wanted to relay it over here as well. I'll probably post one chapter on here as two from fanfic because my chapters are relatively short, around 1,000 words or so. I look forward to see your comments, I tend to think of archiveofourown as having a different demographic (age/maturity) than fanfiction.net and this is the first work I'll have posted on here. Enjoy!

“Commander Irvin Smith and Lance Corporal Levi, it is within the interest of the inhabitants of Walls Rose and Sina, as well as for the good of all mankind, to conduct appropriate experimentation as to discover the regenerative extent to which your charge, Eren Jaeger, is capable. As such, the court orders, under the responsibility of the Scouting Legion, that such experimentation be implemented within the month and that results be presented to the court with haste. Do you understand and accept the terms of these orders?”  
Irvin, stoic as always, appeared silent a moment, thinking the matter over as he would with any decision, no matter how small. A concern dawned on him.   
“Your honor, our primary scientist who would usually oversee any experiments on our division’s behalf is currently collecting important samples eighty kilometers northeast of our base. It would be impossible to reach her or expect her return by the end of the month.”  
The judge, already collecting his paperwork, responded with ease, “The experiment wouldn’t require anyone special to be carried out. Inflict an injury, time how long it takes to heal, write it down. Simple. I leave the matter up to you to find someone suitable. Any further questions, Commander?”  
“No, your honor.”  
“Alright. Court dismissed.”  
Irvin and Levi left the courts together as usual. It was nearing midday and the sky was clear and agreeable, there were people moving about who could momentarily forget about the devastation mankind was facing, life was fleetingly at ease. This contrasted heavily with the state that Levi found himself in after the morning’s court hearing. He wasn’t happy, and the aura he was emitting was one in which Irvin found hard to ignore.   
“…What’s wrong?”  
Levi looked up at the man, calculating. He couldn’t help that he had formed a habit over the years of closely watching what was said to others; withholding information at the right times had benefited him in his younger years and now allowed him to appear cool and levelheaded. It was an unnecessary habit around Irvin whom held his esteem and trust. “They don’t even think of him as a person. Any old dog could do the job and they couldn’t give two shits one way or the other.”  
Irvin appeared thoughtful, “I agree. I wouldn’t preferred that Hanji was on the job but I suppose I’ll be able to find a volunteer--so long as they don’t personally know the boy.” He glanced at the corporal, “…You do understand the importance of the experiment itself?”  
“Yeah, whatever. I’ve kicked the guy around myself a few times as you remember, he can take it whether you find it important or not.”  
The two arrived back at the base as the sun was setting; this gave Irvin an opportunity to speak to the troops eating dinner. Although hungry himself, he wanted to set plans in motion right away to begin experimentation; they were given an extraordinarily small time limit to work with. “Attention soldiers!” The room fell silent; this attested to the sheer respect each individual among the soldiers had for the commander. Irvin even caught sight of Eren, who was looked to be listening intently. “As you know, Lance Corporal Levi and I were summoned to a military court hearing held earlier this morning. The Scouting Legion has been given orders to be carried out by a soldier of any rank that would involve pain infliction. If any of you find yourself able and willing to volunteer for this special operation, which by no means would be an easy task, please see me in my office as soon as possible. Thank you.”  
With that, the commander started for his office; he knew it wouldn’t take long for a few soldiers to express interest and he would have to pick the most able of them. He wanted someone who could take on the task and be as autonomous as possible so that he could return to his primary responsibilities. Hanji truly would have been perfect for the job if she were not far away on business already. He received several interested men and one woman by the end of the night, and after a brief interview told each that they would be informed of his decision in the morning. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Irvin chose a young boy, about 19 years of age, who had experience working briefly with Hanji as a volunteer earlier in the year. He didn’t know Eren personally, understood the instructions well and had little to say on the matter which led Irvin to believe that he would not feel much personal anguish for the pain he would be required to inflict. He hoped his instincts had led him to the right decision, filed the correct paperwork and showed the boy to his workspace and equipment. His lack of reaction unnerved Irvin a bit, but then again Irvin surrounded himself with similar people (including a certain short corporal he could mention)--and they were the people he could trust the most. All that was left was to deal with was rounding up the person to be researched--Eren Jaeger. Luckily, since Levi was technically the one in charge of Eren currently, he was also in charge of debriefing Eren on the experiment and sending him to where he’d be staying for the next month. Irvin trusted that he would see to his responsibilities and was finally able to return to his other matters.   
Eren walked beside his superior, toward an unattached extension of their unit’s base--a small stone building with a large dungeon-like basement which sat west of the main building. They had been walking for ten minutes already, so it must have been at least a mile from the main building which he had previously dwelled. Eren was as pale as a sheet. He wanted to help humanity and shared their curiosity in wanting to know about his titan powers, however, he was still human and he was still scared. Levi had explained to him what the judge had requested and assured him that he would not die and that pain was temporary. Eren greatly appreciated those words and recognized that the corporal was trying to comfort him. He probably thought that Eren had developed some sort of pain tolerance in being subjected to such high amounts so often, however, the boy still felt everything fully and accepted his suffering as being necessary to the success of humanity. He wondered if he would be able to shoulder this coming pain similarly.  
Shortly, they arrived at their destination. Levi, despite his earlier encouragement, seemed to be in a mood and said little to Eren as he spoke with the boy he’d be handing Eren off to. Much of their conversation involved Levi drilling him for answers regarding the experiments, making certain he knew exactly what to do. When Levi appeared to finally be satisfied, he remarked that he’d send a messenger every morning with food and any news that would come up and began to make his way back towards the main building--not before sending Eren one last glance and nod of his head. With that, Eren was left, silently and obediently, to be ruthlessly tortured and traumatized for the remainder of the month.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
It was finally nearing the end of the month. Time to find out what nearly a month’s worth of experimentation had brought to light. Time to finally see Eren again. Levi wouldn’t usually admit to feeling anxious about reuniting with anyone; however, he had only received news regarding the experimenter and not Eren himself (and this news he received through whoever was sent to bring food over to them daily).   
He and Irvin had agreed to meet up at the compound together to let the boys know that the operation would be ending and they would have to present their findings soon to the military court. Hopefully it would be enough to sate the judge’s curiosity; Levi wasn’t going to hold his breath. Arriving at the building, he could see through the front window that Irvin was already inside, chatting up Private Böse(whose name he only recently learned). He showed himself in without bothering to knock.  
“Irvin. Private Böse.” They greeted him with a nod. “Well, what’s the verdict?”  
“I was just letting our experimenter know that he could head back to the barracks while we wrapped up our business here. He mentioned being rather tired, and I can’t say I blame him. I trust any paperwork we might need is in the notebook?” Irvin pointed towards the desk which was in fact littered with several notebooks. They all looked thoroughly used.   
“Yes, sir.”   
Something about Böse seemed… off. He didn’t physically look any different than how he had when they’d parted not a month ago, however, something substantial in his demeanor seemed to have changed. At least, this is what Levi’s gut told him.   
“…I’ll be heading back then.” He said his words quickly, already half out the door and left Levi and Irvin to glance suspiciously at one another. Levi felt himself grow slightly anxious. “Have you checked on Eren yet?”  
“No. Could you go get him? I want to look through Böse’s notes a bit.” Levi started making his way to Eren’s room without answering. It was obvious from the start that Levi would be the one to retrieve Eren, he was Levi’s charge, after all.   
Levi followed the stairs which wound down tightly toward a single room. Barred to assure its inhabitant’s sustained captivity, only darkness could be seen beyond the door that locked Eren inside his own personal prison. It was eerily quiet and Levi’s anxiety was growing as he lit a lamp left by the door and made his way inside. He called out Eren’s name in a way that no soldier would dare ignore. No answer.   
Stepping inside, Levi let his lamplight illuminate the surprisingly small, surprisingly empty room. He felt his stomach drop. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been expecting evidence of blood, but it was everywhere. Only the ceiling and high walls were spared of the deep red splotching that painted the area. Miscellaneous tools and stakes were scattered about and in his shock, Levi almost missed the small figure crouched low in the far left corner.   
“…brat?” He was making his way over to Eren slowly, he found that his legs refused to move as fast as his mind was willing them. Eren seemed to notice his presence this time and without turning around or moving at all questioned quietly, “Is that… Heichou..?”  
This response substantially calmed Levi’s nerves and he answered coolly, “Of course, you stupid brat, I’m here to pick you up.”  
The words seemed to hang in the air for a moment before Eren stirred. It looked to Levi like he was adjusting himself, and after watching Eren do so a few times, Levi became impatient. “What are you doing?”  
“…Sorry. Just a moment, sir.” Eren seemed then to intensify what he had been doing before; it looked as though he was struggling.   
“Jesus. If you’re need help getting up, swallow your pride next time and ask me right away so I don‘t have to waste the day away watching your pitiful ass.” Levi just wanted out of this godforsaken place and was more than willing to get a closer look at Eren’s current state. When he reached out a hand, however, Eren reacted as if 10,000 volts of electricity had just coursed through his entire body. His jerk backwards was so severe that his back collided heavily with the stone wall behind him, causing his lungs to expel and leaving Eren gasping for breath.  
Levi was shocked. “…What the hell is wrong with you?” Eren was unable to answer. Levi hesitantly reached out again, only to watch Eren react in terror, exactly as he had a moment ago. Levi felt anxiety bubble up within him yet again, and not a moment later he could hear Irvin’s voice calling down to him from the office room.   
“LEVI! I NEED TO SPEAK WITH YOU URGENTLY!!”  
“Shit. I’ll be right back. Uh…try and get ahold of yourself…” And with that Levi quickly made his way out of the room and up the winding stairs. He felt much more claustrophobic climbing them this time.   
“I need to speak with you, too. There seems to be a problem with Eren,” Levi was speaking in his leader voice, he did so whenever he felt insecure about the current state of things. Irvin didn’t turn around from the desk he was seated at. He looked frantic shuffling through the papers he had splayed about; it looked like he was sweating.   
“You’re damn right there’s a problem with Eren. Shit. I thought by this point in my career nothing would be able to faze me but…I…I’m at a loss.” Levi just stared. After another moment of frenzied reading, Irvin continued. “What happened in this building could by no means be called an experiment of scientific means. You could only call this--what he’s describing in these notes--the most inhumane torture imaginable. Shit, is Eren even alive right now?” Levi’s eyes widened, but he only continued to stare. “…Being grabbed by a titan, ripped in two, chewed up and eaten…that would be a welcomed fate compared to this… I never--” Irvin stood up abruptly, “I never ordered this! This is blatantly obvious disobedience, disregard for the life of a fellow human, and signifying of severe mental corruption…I’ll have him detained!!” With a start, he briskly crossed the room to the front door, “Do what you can to get Eren back to the base. If anything, just make sure he knows that he is safe now.” He flung the door open and paused once more, “Tell him I’m sorry.”   
And with that he left.


	2. Chapter 2

Levi stalked over to the desk Irvin had been sitting at; he wanted to see for himself the extent to which his underling had been abused. He also wanted to give Eren all the time he could to accept that whatever had been happening to him this past month was now over and that he could return to normalcy (if you'd consider transforming into a giant titan and fighting for humanity to be normal).

Scanning over the pages, it was clear to Levi that Böse had gone too far, and furthermore, he had enjoyed it. The corporal felt his fingers grow numb as he gripped the paper and read a few excerpts:

[ Day 5: The subject asked why I wasn't feeding him. Said he didn't think that was part of the experiment. Likes to go off on these rages that piss me off. Subject was rewarded with his rations for the day, dosed in some of the cleaning products I was left with. At first when I heard the subject in pain I was feeling pretty smug, but all of the moaning and crying got substantially distracting. Told him if he didn't shut up I'd hang him from the ceiling with his maneuver gear straps. It took a demonstration for the subject to get the point.]

[ Day 11: 40 horizontal lacerations to the chest. Removal of all four limbs with bucksaw when subject was getting too rowdy. Didn't make a sound the rest of the day. Thought subject was unresponsive, so 1 gallon of boiling water was poured over him. Persistent jerking and curling of the subjects remaining body confirmed that subject was still responsive.]

[Day 14: Referred to the manual left by Commander Irwin, appendix IV-A regarding the bones of the body. 87% of the subject's bones were either fractured or crushed with an iron bone vise. Femurs were the most resistant to breaking. Earlier observation of the subject jerking away whenever touched has intensified and become consistent.]

Levi stopped reading. He didn't allow himself to move, or blink, or feel. He thought back to the day he left Eren in the compound. He had selfishly wanted to leave Eren there and head back as quickly as possible because it was late and he had been tired and hungry. Eren hadn't said a word, he had quietly given Levi his full trust and what had that earned him? Insurmountable pain is all that he has learned to expect. Irvin had handpicked the man responsible; he went through numerous interviews with various soldiers and out of anyone, he chose this person. The judge and everyone in the military court agreed to let this happen-they were tickled pink at the idea of being able to fully control their titan pet and didn't give a shit how it happened.

There was no longer anyone that Levi would trust with Eren any longer. He quietly decided, gripping these vile papers in the ground level office of the scouting legion's separate compound, standing over a bloodied room and bloodied soldier, that Eren Jaeger, from this moment on, would be his and his alone. His responsibility, his burden, his legacy. He swore by the naked pain in those words he had read, that no one would dare speak the words "Eren Jaeger" without his permission. He gained strength from this resolve, and finally allowed himself to set the papers down and descend the winding stairs to confront the boy again.

This time, in the dungeon, he didn't hesitate when crossing the room to Eren.

"I'm going to carry you upstairs." These words were more of a formality than an actual warning-Levi knew that Eren would involuntarily react to him reaching out and picking the boy up-whether he was warned or not. Still, he did so, and upon ignoring the violent cringes and tremors that Levi's efforts were met with, an alarm went off in his mind noting that Eren was dangerously light. He filed this information away in the "problems to deal with" section of his mind and made the trek back up to the office, hopefully for the last time. Begrudgingly, he set Eren down on the small cot that had been used as Böse's bed for that past month. The thought angered him, and if he had the choice of setting Eren anywhere else, he would have.

Now, fully illuminated by daylight, it was obvious that the boy was in desperate need of some medical attention. There were various injuries that had bled through his clothes and it was obvious that they were not healing. With some patience, Levi inspected one on Eren's forearm-the wound was not even clotting up to healthy human standards, let alone to that of a titan's regeneration abilities. Levi snuck a look up at Eren's face-he was quiet and appeared dazed-probably trying to accept the gravity of the situation.

"Eren, I'm going to dress your wounds and make you something to eat. If I don't, you'll die…after that, we can talk, okay?" Eren didn't look up, but only gave a small nod and Levi set about to gather what first aid supplies he could from the room and what he had on him at all times. With little more than some gauze, tape and water, he began dressing Eren's wounds. The corporal didn't bother asking whether he had wrapped anything too tight, years of direct experience with his own injuries had eliminated the need. Although it was beginning to get on his nerves that Eren would wince at his touch over and over without exception, this frustration was only due to the fact that his movements were making it harder to properly treat him. When he ran out of gauze, only smaller, less serious cuts remained uncovered; Levi simply flushed them with water and hoped for the best.

Levi then turned his attention to making something quick to eat. Inspecting Eren's body for wounds had made it ever more clear that the boy was indeed severely malnourished and on the brink of starvation. For now, he thought, some cooked rice would do, so he lit a fire and waited for some water to boil. He was going to use this time to gather his thoughts, but a voice interrupted him.

"I don't… I-I mean…" Eren gestured to his stomach, "I'll just throw it up…"

"You have to eat." This was not Levi's opinion. This was an unwavering fact if Eren wanted to survive. Eren appeared to struggle with his reply, it was obvious that he didn't want to talk about what had happened to him.

"…my body thinks it's all poison."

Levi added the rice to the water to cook and tried to keep himself calm. He wanted Böse's head on a silver platter.

"Just…keep down what you can for now." Eren nodded. When the rice was done, Levi gave a small portion to Eren and took the rest himself knowing that even if he could keep any down, Eren's stomach would not be big enough to hold much. Levi gave him a big spoon to eat with because his hands were too shaky too be able to use anything else and Eren took a few tentative bites, chewing excessively. Levi began eating his own rice, and stared hard into his bowl as he said the words that neither men were ready for.

"Let's talk."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Admittedly, Levi was perhaps not the best man for the job in this instance; he did not have formal training on the human psyche (obviously his training was more centered on the purpose of his job: killing titans). On the other hand, he had comforted his dying comrades on more than one occasion and doubting his ability now would be useless. He had two purposes that motivated his desire to speak with Eren: 1) To comfort him/let him know that Levi was there for him and 2) to resolve any unanswered questions. The extent of his abilities were of little importance so long as those goals were met. 

“Listen up, brat. I don’t know what was going on in your head down in that hellhole but know this: what happened to you down there was wrong. Yeah, the experiment called for a little pain, but not any more than necessary and that piece of shit will rot in prison for what he did. If I have anything to say about it, he’ll be executed.”  
The storm of anxiety that was written all over Eren‘s face seemed to settle a bit after hearing Levi’s words. He had half expected to be blamed for what had happened; hell, even he blamed himself to an extent. Some part of himself could not help but point an accusing finger--if only he had been stronger or smarter, he could have escaped. No matter what he thought, he found relief in hearing that the corporal did not share those sentiments. 

“Yeah…I could tell that something was wrong right away. I did fight, you know! I would feel so angry and it was only when my titan powers stopped kicking in and the wounds were unbearable that I was unable to lash out.” Maybe I am weak, but that didn’t stop me from fighting.  
Levi nodded. “That was your body trying to protect you. If you had kept expending all that energy, you would’ve died, plain and simple. It’s thanks to those actions that you’re alive now, so there’s no use regretting them.” 

Levi’s bowl had been emptied about halfway by this point; Eren’s nearly untouched meal was now receiving a few small bites and Levi interpreted this as progress. The two fell silent as Levi wanted to give the boy some time to eat while he was able, so he took his time finishing his own bowl and then set it aside to be washed later. In honesty it bugged him to leave dirty dishes, but they were already low on water so he felt obligated to endure this annoyance for the time being. Eren appeared to be finished as well and while he had leaned over to stack his bowl with the other, Levi noticed some rice on his face. With the kerchief that he made a point to keep on his person at all times, Levi absentmindedly reached out in an attempt to wipe off the rice. The resulting flinch felt by Eren caused him to fall back on his elbows, his eyes were wide but he was not looking at Levi. 

“Ah yes, we need to talk about that.” Levi relented, tucking the kerchief back in his pocket. 

“I’m not trying to do that!” Eren met his eyes. “Honestly, I’m not afraid of you or anything…it just happens whether I want it to or not…”

“…You’re really not afraid of me?” Levi was certain that nearly anyone else would be terrified of anyone and anything after living through what Eren had. In fact, he doubted that anyone else would be able to live through it. Eren shook his head. Levi would never admit it aloud, but he admired the boy greatly for pulling through an event that could have easily been his downfall. “Do you trust me?” he questioned further. Eren nodded and positioned himself back to how he had been sitting. 

“Good.” Levi leaned back and put on a casual façade. “Just so you know, I’ve already decided that it’s going to be me who’s going to help you get back to your normal self. No one else is going to have a say in what you do. Not even your little friends.”

Eren‘s eyes widened. “Huh? But--”

“Did I ask for your opinion?” Levi’s gaze was deadpan, more in tune with his usual self. “I don’t care if you want to talk with them or whoever else, you had better make damn sure that I know about it. If I’m gunna be responsible for you, you bet your ass I won’t let some snubby little shit I know nothing about fuck up any progress we make.”

Eren’s initial shock took a moment to die down before he could process what was being said. He couldn’t help but conclude that everything the corporal was saying, even if being said in a snide manner, was because Levi cared for his well-being. Eren’s body hurt; his arms, his legs, everything was aching him. He was still hungry but could no longer eat without the risk of being severely ill. He could scarcely blink without reliving some of the horrid moments that had occurred just meters below his feet. Amongst all this suffering, however, at this moment and under these circumstances, he was able to crack a smile at his superior officer. It was the first that had graced his face for what felt like ages, and it came surprisingly easily.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
[Back at headquarters] Irvin had checked the barracks, he checked the cafeteria, the bathrooms and everywhere he could place he could think of that the soldiers would congregate. No sign of Böse. He often stopped to ask any nearby soldiers if they had seen him, but to no avail. It was becoming increasingly obvious that the man had never returned in the first place. His bunk had been untouched, and none of the personal belongings that he had brought to the outpost had been returned. Desertion.


	3. Chapter 3

Very sorry for the long pause! Thanks for all the positive feedback, continue to share your thoughts please! :)

* * *

 

"Are you going to carry me again?" Eren did not bother to hide the dread in his voice; it was one thing to be carried by another man, but this particular man happened to be his superior officer (and not to mention four inches shorter than himself).  
"You're in no state to make the walk back yourself. Obviously I'm going to be carrying you so suck it up." Eren sulked.  
"You're just like Mikasa…"  
Levi had developed habits with Eren over the time they had spent together. When you see enough of a person, you test your limits with them and find out what is and isn't comfortable to do or say. There are some insults that are only reserved for the closest of friends and some habits that only certain acquaintances will tolerate. Levi had a friendly habit of being violent with Eren; this habit was unique to Eren whom with his titan abilities could withstand temporary pain easily and recover quickly. Upon hearing an underling compare his habits to those of an embarrassingly overprotective sister, Levi did not think twice before aiming a punch at Eren's ribs. He quickly stopped himself before his fist was able to connect, but the damage was already done.  
Eren curled in on himself. Trembling with hands protecting his face, his eyes were shut tight and his breathing turned sporadic. Levi immediately regretted his carelessness. He spoke softly and placed a comforting hand on Eren's shoulder (which flinched away initially). "Eren…sorry. I'm not going to hurt you."  
Eren tried to answer the corporal, he tried to stop shaking and wished he could get his body to move, but he felt disconnected like he was watching what was going on from across the room. He hated this feeling! He wasn't actually afraid of Levi and didn't really care if Levi threw a few punches his way since that was sort of how they had communicated to an extent before recent events. Eren would do something stupid. The corporal would hit him and he would stop (for a while). Repeat. That process had been comfortable for the both of them and now Eren was fucking that up.  
Despite the state that Eren was in, Levi decided that staying in the outpost was doing nothing to help the situation and that he would have to quickly get over any hesitation to pick Eren up for now if any progress was to be made. The truth of the matter was that Levi was never one to hesitate at anything, so he effectively lifted Eren into a standing position, hoisted him onto his back and made his way out the door towards the base. Eren, at this point, was hardly reacting to anything at all, be it because he was simply too shocked or perhaps too tired.  
The walk back was surprisingly quiet and even comfortable. Levi kept at a slow pace and it was not long before Eren was able to fully relax and get some much needed sleep.  
Their arrival was not so peaceful.  
Out of anyone in the whole world that could've possibly been walking out of the barracks as the two were passing, what were the chances that it would be the very overprotective sister that Levi had been compared to not an hour earlier? Apparently very high, because said person stepped quietly from the inside building to be greeting by what could only be described as her worst nightmare-Eren, dead (or so it appeared).  
She wasted no time, frantically running up to where Levi had paused upon spotting her. He had not been looking forward to explaining the situation to anyone, let alone Mikasa whom he knew would react the harshest. Her eyes were wide and tearing up quickly and Levi wondered how she could possibly hold enough air in her lungs to voice all of the questions she was rapidly firing off. Eren, probably used to being on alert for any small noises that signaled danger, woke up. This was effective in calming the girl down better than any reassuring words from the corporal could. Her bombardment of questions was then turned to Eren who seemed to be less than capable of processing so much at once, let alone answering. Levi was quickly fed up with the behavior, and interjected.  
"Oi, calm the hell down and listen. I'll explain the situation to everyone later, but for now we've got to get him properly treated so can you kindly pull yourself together?"  
If looks could kill, Levi would be a dead-man. Then again he would've been dead long, long ago by some other person he's managed to piss off. None the less, Mikasa begrudgingly nodded and allowed Levi to continue on his trek toward the medical staff room, albeit with her company.  
Upon arriving, Levi only explained Eren's current ailments to the nurse and left out any details of the torture itself. He emphasized the jerking movements Eren had been eliciting whenever touched and the nurse looked thoughtful.  
"Unfortunately, there's about as many cases of PTSD out here as there are soldiers. I'll be mindful."  
With that she urged both Levi and Mikasa let her take care of Eren's wounds and that she'd send someone to fetch the corporal when she was finished properly treating him. Neither of said persons looked particularly pleased at the suggestion but had to comply after Eren complained that he wasn't a child and didn't need them to hold his hand every second (they both disagreed, but allowed him to believe otherwise anyway).  
The nurse led Eren backroom where he could get some privacy and where she would be able to check out the extent of his wounds and malnourishment. Satisfied, Levi motioned Mikasa to follow him as he headed towards Irvin's office. They walked briskly and he let out a sigh to collect his thoughts.  
"You were already informed about the details of the experiment Eren was ordered to participate in a month ago." Mikasa nodded. "Well, obviously it went to shit. The asshole chosen for the job was a psychopath and decided he would torture the hell out of Jaeger for shits and giggles, I guess."  
Mikasa was fuming. Not even a titan would dare cross her at this moment. "Who the hell is responsible for this?" Heads would roll.  
Levi regarded her for a moment, he acknowledged that she was probably the only person in the world that he could fully trust the brat with. He wasn't sure if she would trust him after what he was about to tell her. "The judge ordered the experiment to be carried out, Irvin chose the guy to do it, I handed Eren over him. It's all our faults."  
At this, Mikasa looked even more pissed off than before, if that was possible. She looked to be holding herself back. "…I'll take him away from here…I'll hide him away from all you bastards that think you can play around with his life…"  
Levi stopped abruptly.  
"And what are you doing? Deciding already for him where he should and shouldn't be? What a hypocrite. I guarantee you'd actually ask him, Eren would choose to stay in the Survey Corps, under my command." His cold gaze softened in a way that was almost undetectable. "I understand your anger, believe me, but the person it should ultimately be directed at is Böse, the guy who willingly decided to hurt Eren."  
Mikasa held his gaze and let this information sink in. She burned the man's name into her mind. "…I'm not happy with you and I don't trust you, but you're right."  
They had almost arrived at Irvin's office when Levi had stopped and before Levi could reply to his subordinate, he caught glimpse of the commander presumably heading towards his office.  
"Oi, Irvin. Eren is with a medic, what news do you have?"  
Irvin looked clearly on edge and rushed over to the two taking long, quick strides. He was sweating, and anxiety looked so shockingly out of place on the man that Levi could not help but feel affected.  
"Levi. Ackerman. It's a relief to hear that Eren is being taken care of. Unfortunately, the situation has gotten worse. Böse is missing; he never even returned to the base after talking to us. He must have known that he wouldn't get away with what he'd done and now we have no clue as to his whereabouts."  
"…You're fucking kidding me." Levi was pissed. Mikasa was pissed. There would be hell to pay.

* * *

 

Eren’s injuries were extensive and his time getting treatment dragged on for hours. Stubbornly, both Levi and Mikasa refused to budge an inch from where they waited, simultaneously trying to be a support for Eren and show each other up. The silence dragged on uneasily; Mikasa, left to her own thoughts and curiousity burning, was the first to break it.  
“…Do you know exactly what…went on…?”  
Levi continued staring at the same speck of dirt on the floor—he hated a mess. He hated them, no matter how big or small, and would always clean them up regardless of the effort it would take. Eren’s mess was different from a few specks of dirt, unfortunately. Torture has a way of changing a person permanently. Levi knew this fact first hand, he had tortured plenty of people while in the Corps and indiscriminant of gender, age, rank or any trait under the sun—torture would end with the birth of a new, different person (or their death). Levi wondered if Eren’s torture would change Mikasa as well.  
“You don’t want to know.” Levi had never gotten along well with Mikasa and he had always been one for facing the truth, ugly or not; however, in the moment, he found himself wanting to protect her from the answers to that question. She clearly wasn’t satisfied with his answer, judging by her dramatic scoff and turn of the head. “I wouldn’t have asked if that were true. I’ll just talk to Eren about it when he’s out if you’re going to be difficult.”  
Levi was not on-board with that. “Eren was broken. He was shattered down in a dark room by an insane, sadistic man so badly and so thoroughly that his body can’t bear the touch of another human being. Every inch of his body has learned that any touch, no matter how gentle, means pain and that he must get away from it. He cannot control this—it’s in his veins, the fucking cells of his skin! Do you understand what I’m saying?”  
Heavy tears were welled up in the crevice of Mikasa’s eyes, she refused to let them fall. She saw her options for what they were: be strong for Eren and make those responsible pay. “I get it, I won’t ask him…” She went silent for a few moments, trying to think clearly. Levi appreciated the silence, and it ended too soon. “…I’m going to go fill Armin in on what’s happened. He’ll understand what’s right to do for Eren, without getting lectured.” She sent another small glare his way, but this one held no malice. “Please, if you could do one thing for me. I’ll never ask for another favor again just…get me a picture of the man responsible. I can’t rest until he’s dead.”  
Levi could empathize with that, though he wasn’t feeling 100% agreeable with her demands. “I’ll get the picture. But…” Mikasa’s face hardened. “…bring him back alive, if you find him and are able. I’m also itching to get my hands on that shit and know a few torture techniques myself. It’ll be worth your while.”  
Satisfied, Mikasa gave a small nod and left to find Armin. Levi made a mental note to get Böse’s picture from Irvin, hell, he may as well make copies to make wanted posters. Levi meant what he said to Mikasa and would dedicate all of his extra time towards finding the man; however, he knew all too well that things did not always go as hoped. Their world was proof of that.

* * *

 

After waiting and brooding for some time longer, Levi heard the quiet approach of the nurse and Eren, both looking as tired as Levi himself felt. Her voice was as quiet as their footsteps, Levi could only make out bits and pieces of what she was telling Eren. “…no more apologies…when you’re ready…stay safe and…” She ceased talking as they made it to where Levi was waiting, his eyes were on Eren. He looked…better, but still not good. At least Levi knew now that his wounds were properly treated.  
The nurse regarded Levi with kind, somewhat surprised eyes. “Levi? I hadn’t really been expecting you to stick around this long. I was able to treat what I could of Eren’s injuries, the physical ones…” She looked down. “In time they will heal. The mental wounds…those ones are trickier. I let Eren know that I will talk to him when he’s ready and assured him that you and his other friends would be there for him as well, right?”  
“Right.”  
She smiled. “Good. I’ll leave him in your care then. I gave Eren a goodie bag with all he will need for upkeep. Make certain he takes the supplement pills I gave him every day.”  
Levi nodded. The nurse turned once more to Eren before leaving. “You’re in good hands, Eren, and you’re strong.”  
Levi, now alone with the boy and in want of some rest, gestured for Eren to follow him towards where they would be sleeping. On the way, Levi stopped a subordinate and asked her to alert the cooks that he would be wanting his meals delivered to his room for the time being. Eren must have been lost in his own thoughts during this exchange, as he was surprised to find himself walking towards the doorway to his captain’s room. “Sir…I can’t…aren’t I supposed to sleep locked up?”  
Levi fought off a glare. “As if I’d have you sleep in that fucking dungeon downstairs after what you’ve been through. I can keep a close eye on you in here anyway. And Eren?”  
He stopped and hoped his gaze was as earnest as his next words would be. Eren gave the older man his full attention.  
“No one can tell me what to do with you anymore. Not Irvin. Not Mikasa. Not the fucking king. I’ll turn on them all before I let something like this happen again. So forget, brat…you’re safe now. I promise.


End file.
